The Cleveland Browns may have to risk losing rookie quarterback Taylen Green to make room for Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel is eligible to return from injured reserve this week after missing Cleveland’s first four games with a back injury. Activating him would leave the Browns with four quarterbacks to accommodate on the 53-man roster, putting Green’s spot in question.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, the Browns have some flexibility on when to make that call.
“It remains to be seen if the Browns will designate (Gabriel) this week or wait, which would buy them more time to decide whether to keep four QBs on the active roster,” Cabot wrote. “Once he’s activated to the 53, the Browns must decide if they’ll keep four QBs on the roster, or perhaps try to get sixth-round pick Taylen Green through waivers and onto the practice squad.”
Cabot cautioned that quarterback injuries around the league could make that gamble risky. Another team could claim Green, ending Cleveland’s chance to keep developing the sixth-round pick on its practice squad.
Taylen Green Could Give Browns Offense a Different Look
Green has served as Cleveland’s emergency third quarterback through all four games, including Thursday’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But his athleticism could eventually earn him a more active role in an offense still finding its footing.
At nearly 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds, Green ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. His 43½-inch vertical jump and 11-foot-2 broad jump were also the best by a quarterback since at least 2003.
That running ability showed up on Saturdays, too. Green rushed for 777 yards and eight touchdowns during his final season at Arkansas.
Todd Monken discussed potential short-yardage and red-zone packages for Green during rookie minicamp. A handful of designed runs or option plays could give Cleveland another way to keep drives moving without asking the rookie to run the entire offense.
The Browns would need to activate Green on game day for those packages. His emergency designation does not permit routine offensive snaps.
Browns Have No Plans to Trade Sanders or Gabriel
Trading another quarterback could ease the roster squeeze, but Cabot reported that Cleveland is not planning to take that route.
“Amid national speculation that the Browns might trade Shedeur Sanders, including by Dan Graziano of ESPN, the Browns still have no plans to trade their No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks,” Cabot said.
Deshaun Watson has strengthened his hold on the starting job during Cleveland’s 3-1 start. He threw for 268 yards and a touchdown in the 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh, helping the Browns win their third straight game.
Still, Sanders remains next in line if Watson falters or gets hurt. A healthy Gabriel would provide another option with NFL starting experience, giving Cleveland reason to preserve its depth despite the roster crunch.
The first decision this week is whether to open Gabriel’s practice window and begin moving toward his return. Cleveland visits the New York Jets on Sunday.
Browns QB Potentially on Chopping Block Ahead of Week 5